The present invention concerns a communication system between a portable unit such as a watch and a communication terminal such as a personal computer or PC.
A system for processing personal data is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,027 in the name of Biometrics Inc. This system allows, for example, the performance of an athlete, such as a runner, to be monitored. It enables the date and time of the race, the time for each lap, or the final time accumulated by the sportsman to be recorded. The system also enables the values of certain physiological parameters to be recorded, such as the heart rate or an electrocardiogram (ECG) which reflect the effort made by the athlete during his sporting activity. All this information will then be transmitted, via an acoustic link, to a personal computer in which the data will be processed, analysed, then finally displayed on the screen of said computer.
The Biometrics system described above advantageously enables personal data to be stored in a watch, then the data to be transmitted by acoustic waves to a computer where they will be processed and analysed. This system is unfortunately not two-directional. It is thus not possible to transfer data from the computer to the watch, which considerably limits the possible applications of the Biometrics system.
Moreover, communication systems wherein data is exchanged in a two-directional manner via a wireless link between a portable object and a communication terminal are known. By way of example, the case of digital personal assistant (PDA) able to communicate with a personal computer via radio-frequency waves may be cited.
When he is in his office, the user of such a system can enter his timetable for his working week into his computer, then transfer this data to his PDA. When travelling, the user can thus consult his diary at any time and see his commitments and availability. During a meeting, a time for another working session can be fixed at a subsequent date. Thus user can thus enter this new meeting into his electronic PDA as well as, for example, the identity and telephone number of the person he is meeting. When he returns to the office, the user will be able to transfer the new data entered into his PDA to the computer and update his timetable.
A wireless communication system via radio-frequency waves has been described. It goes without saying that other wireless communication systems, for example by infrared link or by inductive link, may also be used. All these systems advantageously allow a two-directional communication to be established for exchanging data between a portable unit and a communication terminal. However, these systems have the drawback of requiring transmission and/or receiving means suitable for the type of wireless link used, the cost and installation price of such means often being very high.
The object of the present Invention is to overcome the above problems and drawbacks in addition to others by proposing a reliable and inexpensive wireless communication system between a portable unit and a communication terminal.
The present invention thus concerns a communication system between a portable unit such as a watch, and a communication terminal such as a personal computer or PC, characterised in that the communication terminal includes at least means for transmitting an acoustic signal carrying an item of data, and in that the portable unit includes at least processing means for processing data, and receiving and conversion means for picking up said acoustic signal and converting said acoustic signal into data intended to be processed by said processing means.
As a result of these features, it is possible to enter data, for example into a personal computer, then to transfer said data via an acoustic link to the portable unit such as a wristwatch. A sound wave communication system which is much simpler, and consequently much less expensive than other currently known communication systems, for example infrared or radio-frequency systems, is thus obtained. Most communication terminals can, in fact, be used within the scope of the present invention without it being necessary to modify them or add transmission and/or receiving means suited to the type of wireless link used. Thus, when the communication terminal is a personal computer, one can use the loudspeakers which are commonly fitted to such computers to send an acoustic signal to the portable unit. One need only enter into the computer a programme allowing the acoustic signal to be modulated so that It can then be decoded by the portable unit. Likewise, when the acoustic signal is transmitted by a radio or by a television, one need only ensure that before being broadcast, the signal has been suitably modulated, so that it can then be received and converted Into data able to be processed by the processing means of the portable unit.
According to another aspect, the present invention concerns a communication system of the aforementioned type, characterised in that the portable unit further includes conversion and transmission means for converting data provided by said processing means of said portable unit into an acoustic signal carrying data and for transmitting an acoustic signal and In that the communication terminal further includes processing means for processing data and receiving and converting means for receiving said acoustic signal transmitted by the portable unit and for converting the signal into data intended to be processed by said processing means of said communication terminal.
As a result of these other features, one can not only transmit data from the communication terminal to the portable unit, but also transmit data from the portable unit to the data terminal, which considerably increases the number of possible applications of the communication system according to the invention.